Do I Have to Stage My Home?

There are Buyers’ Markets, Sellers’ Markets, Neutral Markets and Down Markets in Real Estate. If you are a Seller in today’s market or any other market, you want the highest possible sales price no matter which type of market it is, with the least hassles and the shortest time on the market. To make that happen, your home must up there with the ‘best’ on the market in your neighborhood at the time you wish to sell.

There are buyers for ‘Fixer Uppers’ but they are usually contractors and flippers who never pay full asking price for a property. If you need a new roof, they will not only discount your asking price by the cost of replacing the roof but they will discount more just for the inconvenience and to make sure they will make a profit when they sell your house. The roof repair and all the other upgrades needed must return a profit on the contractor/flipper’s investment, therefore, they are not your ideal buyer if you are hoping for a fair-market-value sales price.

So how do you determine what enhancements need to be done with your home to get the very highest price? First call us and we will do a complete market analysis of all the sales and the current homes for sale and show those to you. Ask us for information (that you can’t see on all those real estate sites) about the current homes for sale in your neighborhood. The websites can’t see inside the home or in the fenced yards – we can.

You want to compare ‘apples-to-apples’. If your neighbor is selling his home with a pool and built-in backyard kitchen and your home doesn’t have those features, he/she will be able to ask and get a higher price for his/her home (all other amenities in the two homes being equal).

Staging your home to reflect the amenities that shine throughout your home is your best bet. The first thing is a complete cleaning of your home and yard. Getting rid of the clutter is half the battle.

Take all the personal things and pack them away (example: pictures on the wall or table tops of your family – the buyer needs to imagine his/her family in your home.)

The kitchen and bathrooms are the two rooms that sell homes. Clean them to perfection. Clean out the closets and cupboards so that it doesn’t appear that there isn’t enough storage space.

Freshen your home – if walls need painting, do that.

If carpets or other flooring need to be replaced, do that. If your house looks like it isn’t cared for, the buyer may think that there are too many negatives (and wonder what else is wrong with the house) and will walk out the door without making an offer.

Your yard must reflect the buyer’s idea of a relaxing and pretty space. Some potted flowers, cleaned up yard, and keeping the lawn mowed will go a long way.

Remember, it’s no longer your home, it’s a product that you are selling and to do that, you must convince the buyers that this is the home they can’t live without.